FIREFLY FRENZY
Matsuyama, Japan
Photographer: Tim Flach When it comes to endangered species, we travellers often focus on the big ’uns: giant panda, lowland gorillas, Bengal tigers… It’s the smaller creatures that we often forget, even if their displays can make for some of travel’s great spectacles. These dancing fireflies (actually beetles, not flies), flickering in the forests near Matsuyama on Shikoku island, are perfectly captured here by snapper Tim Flach, as part of his Endangered project. Locals are captivated by them on cool summer nights, while legend paints them as the souls of slain warriors. Sadly, pesticides are killing off their main food source – river snails – leading to fewer nights like this, making them all the more worth cherishing.
Endangered (Abrams, £50) by Tim Flach and text…